Emergency releasing apparatus.



No. 7l6,659. Patented apec. 23, I902.

- J. F. BJUBLUND.

EMERGENCY BELEASING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 22, 1901.) Q10 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet i.

wii'meoeo 'U mummies z I 3Z3 @Hozuc mydw JKQJQ rs-1: spams PETERS cu.PHOTO-LXTHO.FWASNI!I6TUN. u. c.

No. 716,659. PatentedDec. 23, 1902.

.1. F. BJURLUND. EMERGENCY RELEAS ING APPARATUS.

v (Applipation flled Nov. 22, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- 'Hllll fillllllblllllll;

I 4 ,Swwamioz 5515M Moi-mug burns PETERS co puma-Luna. wasumsvm, II c.

NlTE JOHN F; BJURLUND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EMERGENCY RELEASING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,659, dated December23, 1902. Application filed November 22, 1901. Serial No. 83,273. (Noand.)

To all whom, it may con-corn;

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. BJURLUND, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Richmond, Hill, borough of Queens, New 'Yorkcity, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Emergency Releasing Ap-, paratus, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for quickly releasinganimals tied in stalls and other tied or connected things in cases ofemergency, as in the case of fire and other conditions demanding hasteorpreventing the usual modes of effecting release.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Irepresent two examples of my invention, whereof- Figure 1 represents afront elevation of the apparatus specially. designed for releasinganimals tied in stalls for quick escape in case of fire, the apparatusbeing in the conditions for retaining the halter. Fig. 2 is a top viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with the cover of the caseinclosingthe opera tive parts removed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation withthe apparatus in the conditions subsequent to release of the halter.Fig. 5 is an edgewise view of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a front elevationof the apparatus adapted for automatic release of extensible gates usedto close the gaps between thelplatforms of cars of trains on roadshaving curves of short radius to prevent damage when the gaps open widerthan the extensible range is provided for, as whena car may be derailed,and the like. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 6.Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 isafront elevation with the part corresponding with the halter detached.Fig. 10 is a vertical section on line 3 3, Fig. 7. Fig. 11 is a top viewof the running slide of the gate which antomatically effects therelease. Fig.12 is an elevation of an extensible guard, such as employed in the gaps between car-platforms of cars running on roads havingcurves of short radius, showing the application of my improved releasingapparatus thereto. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the holding and releasinghooks detached from the rest of the apparatus.

The essential feature of the invention consists of two hooks, as "a,pivoted at b intermediately of the point ends and the other ends a thelatter being lever-shanks by which to open and close the hooks and tohold them securely when closed, said hooks forming a ring or eye whenclosed to hold a halter tied therein or a coupling-pin or other object,together with means for opening and closing said hooks and securelyholding them in the closed position, said means being adapted to beoperated for opening the hooks automatically or from a distant positionby hand either singly or in series as Well as by hand in directapplication to the individual opening and closing devices.

The means for operating the lever-shanks of the hooks consists of asliding piece, as 0, working transversely to the plane in which thehooks swing and having a Wedge part between the ends of said levers thatforces them apart to close the hooks when the sliding piece moves oneway and also having inclined prongs e passing, outside of said leverends and closing them inward to open the hooks when said sliding piecemoves the other way, said Wedge and prongs adapted to lock and securelyhold the hooks in the respective positions they are caused to assume bythe respective movements of the slide-piece.

The hooks a are preferably arranged in a horizontal plane and thesliding piece in a vertical plane, with the wedge d so placed that itcloses the hooks and locks them when moved downward, and a spring, as f,is employed to hold the slide down and keep the hooks locked, saidspring beingin this case a coiled wire placed on a stem 9 of the slidingpiece, which slides in a guideway at h and has a knob i by which to liftthe slide and open the hooks by hand when desired. The spring iscompressed when the sliding piece is raised, and it forces the slidingpiece down when released, and its tension keeps the sliding piece in theposition for maintaining the closure of the hooks.

For raising the sliding piece at a distance from the hook device alaterally-sliding bar j is placed under the pointed end 75 of thesliding piece, said bar having a notch in its upper edge for the restingplace of said pointed end. The notch has inclined walls Z, so thatwhichever way it is shifted said inclined walls will raise the slidingpiece and open the hooks.

Chains or wire ropes, as j, are to be connected to the ends of barj andextended to a place where they may be operated in safety in case offire, and when a series of stalls are used the sliding bars j of theseveral stalls will be connected in series, so that they may be operatedsimultaneously by pulling at either end of the range of the series. In alengthy series it may be necessary to employ lever-power on account ofthe greater resistance.

Over the hooks or under them,as preferred, a stud 'm is arranged with anotch 97, in the end coincident with the eye of the closed hooks as aguard to insure the escape of the halter, coupling-pin, or otherconnecting device. from the points of the hooks when the hooks open bypreventing lateral pull of the halter or other device into the bow ofthe hook which might otherwise happen.

The wedge and prong carrying piece is arranged in a slideway 0 of asuitable case If, and the barj is arranged in a slideway p, in whichthey are suitably confined by a detachable cover 8.

A stop-stud u, extending from the caseinto the slot o of bar j, limitsthe sliding movements of said bar to their proper range. A stop-stud maybe placed in one or the other of the holes a according to the directionin which the slide is to be pulled for opening the hooks, to prevent theslide from overrunning when pulled back for closing the hooks.

In the application of the apparatus for automatic release, as forreleasing in an emergency, the extensible guard w, employed at the gapsbetween car-platforms 0c in railroadcar trains running on roads havingcurves of limited radius,the sliding barj is omitted and an extension yof the hook-actuating sliding piece 0 is substituted, so that any movingpart in any way caused to operate when the conditions are such thatrelease is desirable will take efiect on said extension and shift saidhook-operating piece and open the hooks. Thus in the saidextension-guard to there is a part 2, to which one of the bars 3 of theguard is pivoted, which slides up and down the vertical end bar 4 of theguard Within certain limits as the guards extend and contract when thecars are turning on curves, the greatest range being when the cars areturning the shortest curves; In such application of my improvedreleasing apparatus the case, as t, is attached to the bar 4 by asuitable clasp t say at about midway between its endsso that the hooks amay serve as part of the coupling device connecting the guard to thepost 5 on the car-platform, the other part of said coupling being abracket 6, attached to said post and having-a pin 7 to be engaged by thehooks, which in this case are preferably bifurcated to receive the endof the bracket between the two parts separated by the bifurcation whichengage the pin both sidesof the bracket, said pin being extended bothsides of said bracket, and the application is such that the extension 3reaches downward toward the verticallysliding part 2, but terminates alittle above the limit of the highest range of said part z in theregular operation of the cars, whereby in case of an unusual extensionof the guard, as in case of some unusual occurrence, as the derailmentof the car, a little higher rise of part 2 will cause it to touchextension y and lift the hook-operating slide and release the guard fromthe post, and thus avoid the damage now always incident in such cases tothe lack of automatic release. Similar guardstuds, as m, will be used inconnection with the hooks in this case also.

It is apparent that my improved releasing apparatus may be employed withadvantage in various other applications.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In releasing apparatus thecombination of a pair of lever-hooks adapted to close together and forma retaining-eye for hitching and coupling purposes, and to open forreleasing the hitched or coupled device, a hookoperating part adaptedfor positively opening and closing said hooks respectively according asit is moved one Way or the other relatively to and transversely of thelevers of said hooks, and means for automatically operating said part.

2. In a releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of lever-hooksadapted to close together and form a retaining-eye for hitching andcoupling purposes, and for opening for releasing the hitched or coupleddevice, a hook-operating part adapted for opening and closing said hooksrespectively according as it is moved one way or the other relatively tosaid hooks, means for operating said part, and guards to insure releaseof the hitched or coupled device from the open hooks.

3. In releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of pivotedlever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye forhitching and coupling purposes, and for opening for releasing thehitched or coupled device, a hook-operating part having a wedge forclosing said hooks, by moving one way relatively to them and prongs foropening them when moving reversely, and means for operating said hookopening and closing part.

4. In releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of pivotedlever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye forhitching and coupling purposes, and for open ing for releasing thehitched or coupled device, a hook-operating part having a wedge IIO forclosing said hooks by moving one way rela- I Signed at New York citythis 1st day of tively to them and prongs for opening them November,1901.

when moved reversely, and means for operating said hook openingand'closingpart eon- 1 JOHN BJURLUND' sisting of a spring for moving itone way and the sliding notched bar for moving it the reverse way.

Witnesses:

A. P. THAYER, G. SEDGWIOK.

